Muslim leader jailed for wife-bashing book

A Muslim spiritual leader who wrote a book telling Muslim men how to beat their wives has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for encouraging violence against women.

In his book, Women in Islam, Mohamed Kamal Mostafa, imam of the southern Spanish town of Fuengirola, urged husbands not to hit their wives on sensitive parts of the body or with force but, rather, "on hands and feet, using a light rod so that the blows don't leave scars or bruises", according to the sentencing document, released on Wednesday.

Mustafa's lawyer argued that the book, distributed in Islamic bookstores in Barcelona, merely rehashed versions of Islamic writings from the 13th to 19th century and did not represent the imam's personal views.